The purpose of this paper is to lay out the details of the Cisco VNI global IP traffic forecast and the methodology behind it.

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Cisco Visual Networking Index:
Forecast and Methodology, 2009–2014
June 2, 2010
®
This forecast is part of the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI), an ongoing initiative to track and
forecast the impact of visual networking applications. The purpose of this paper is to lay out the details
of the Cisco VNI global IP traffic forecast and the methodology behind it. For a more analytical look at the
implications of the data presented below, please refer to the companion document to this paper entitled
“Hyperconnectivity and the Approaching Zettabyte Era.”
Executive Summary
Annual global IP traffic will exceed three-quarters of a zettabyte (767 exabytes) in four years. Global IP
traffic grew 45 percent during 2009 to reach an annual run rate of 176 exabytes per year or 15 exabytes per month.
In 2014, global IP traffic will reach 767 exabytes per year or 64 exabytes per month. The average monthly traffic in
2014 will be equivalent to 32 million people streaming Avatar in 3D, continuously for the entire month.
Global IP traffic will quadruple from 2009 to 2014. Overall, IP traffic will grow at a compound annual growth rate
(CAGR) of 34 percent.
It would take over two years to watch the amount of video that will cross global IP networks every second
in 2014. It would take 72 million years to watch the amount of video that will cross global IP networks during
calendar year 2014.
Global Internet video traffic will surpass global peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic by the end of 2010. For the first time
since 2000, P2P traffic will not be the largest Internet traffic type.
The global online video community will surpass 1 billion users by the end of 2010. This number of people is
exceeded only slightly by the populations of China (1.3 billion) and India (1.1 billion), making this user group
equivalent to the third largest country in the world.
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Global Internet Highlights
In 2014, the Internet will be four times larger than it was in 2009. By year-end 2014, the equivalent of 12 billion
DVDs will cross the Internet each month.
Peer-to-peer is growing in volume, but declining as a percentage of overall IP traffic. P2P file-sharing
networks are now carrying 3.5 exabytes per month and will continue to grow at a moderate pace with a CAGR of
16 percent from 2009 to 2014. Other means of file sharing, such as one-click file hosting, will grow rapidly at a
CAGR of 47 percent and will reach 4 exabytes per month in 2014. Despite this growth, P2P as a percentage of
consumer Internet traffic will drop to 17 percent of consumer Internet traffic by 2014, down from 39 percent at the
end of 2009.
Global Video Highlights
Internet video is now over one-third of all consumer Internet traffic, and will approach 40 percent of
consumer Internet traffic by the end of 2010, not including the amount of video exchanged through P2P
file sharing.
The sum of all forms of video (TV, video on demand, Internet, and P2P) will continue to exceed 91 percent
of global consumer traffic by 2014. Internet video alone will account for 57 percent of all consumer Internet traffic
in 2014.
Advanced Internet video (3D and HD) will increase 23-fold between 2009 and 2014. By 2014, 3D and HD
Internet video will comprise 46 percent of consumer Internet video traffic.
Video communications traffic growth is accelerating. Though still a small fraction of overall Internet traffic, video
over instant messaging and video calling are experiencing high growth. Video communications traffic will increase
sevenfold from 2009 to 2014.
Real-time video is growing in importance. By 2014, Internet TV will be over 8 percent of consumer Internet traffic,
and ambient video will be an additional 5 percent of consumer Internet traffic. Live TV has gained substantial ground
in the past few years. Globally, P2P TV is now over 280 petabytes per month.
Video-on-demand (VoD) traffic will double every two and a half years through 2014. Consumer IPTV and CATV
traffic will grow at a 33 percent CAGR between 2009 and 2014.
Global Mobile Highlights
Globally, mobile data traffic will double every year through 2014, increasing 39 times between 2009 and 2014.
Mobile data traffic will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 108 percent between 2009 and 2014,
reaching 3.6 exabytes per month by 2014.
Almost 66 percent of the world’s mobile data traffic will be video by 2014. Mobile video will grow at a CAGR of
131 percent between 2009 and 2014. Mobile video has the highest growth rate of any application category measured
within the mobile data portion of the Cisco VNI Forecast at this time.
The Middle East and Africa will have the strongest mobile data traffic growth of any region at 133 percent
CAGR, followed by Asia Pacific at 119 percent and North America at 117 percent.
Regional Highlights
IP traffic is growing fastest in Latin America, followed closely by the Middle East and Africa. Traffic in Latin
America will grow at a CAGR of 51 percent between 2009 and 2014.
IP traffic in North America will reach 19 exabytes per month by 2014 at a CAGR of 30 percent. Monthly Internet
traffic in North America will generate 2.8 billion DVDs worth of traffic, or 11.3 exabytes per month.
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IP traffic in Western Europe will reach 16 exabytes per month by 2014 at a CAGR of 36 percent. Monthly
Internet traffic in Western Europe will generate 3.1 billion DVDs worth of traffic, or 12 exabytes per month.
IP traffic in Asia Pacific will reach 17 exabytes per month by 2014 at a CAGR of 35 percent. Monthly Internet
traffic in Asia Pacific will generate 3.7 billion DVDs worth of traffic, or 14.9 exabytes per month.
IP traffic in Japan will reach 4 exabytes per month by 2014 at a CAGR of 32 percent. Monthly Internet traffic
in Japan will generate 0.7 billion DVDs worth of traffic, or 2.8 exabytes per month.
IP traffic in Latin America will reach 3.5 exabytes per month by 2014 at a rate of 51 percent. Monthly Internet
traffic in Latin America will generate 751 million DVDs worth of traffic, or 3 exabytes per month.
IP traffic in Central and Eastern Europe will reach 2.5 exabytes per month by 2014 at a rate of 38 percent.
Monthly Internet traffic in Central and Eastern Europe will generate 514 million DVDs worth of traffic, or 2.1 exabytes
per month.
IP traffic in the Middle East and Africa will reach 1 exabyte per month by 2014 at a rate of 45 percent.
Monthly Internet traffic in the Middle East and Africa will generate 182 million DVDs worth of traffic, or 727 petabytes
per month.
Global Business Highlights
Business IP traffic will grow at a CAGR of 21 percent from 2009 to 2014. Increased adoption of advanced video
communications in the enterprise segment will cause business IP traffic to grow by a factor of 2.6 between 2009
and 2014.
Business Internet traffic will grow at a faster pace than IP WAN. IP WAN will grow at a CAGR of 17 percent,
compared to a CAGR of 20 percent for business Internet and 93 percent for business mobile data traffic.
Business video conferencing will grow ten-fold over the forecast period. Business videoconferencing traffic
is growing almost three times as fast as overall business IP traffic, at a CAGR of 57 percent from 2009−2014.
−
Web-based video conferencing will grow 180-fold from 2009−2014. Web-based video conferencing is the fastest
growing sub-category (183 percent CAGR from 2009−2014) within the business portion of the Cisco VNI Forecast.
HD video conferencing will account for over half (57 percent) of business video conferencing traffic in 2014,
up from 31 percent in 2009.Over one-half of business videoconferencing traffic will travel over the Internet by 2014.
Business IP traffic will grow fastest in the Middle East and Africa. Business IP traffic in the Middle East and
Africa will grow at a CAGR of 30 percent, a faster pace than the global average of 21 percent. North America,
Western and Central Europe, and Japan will have slower growth rates. In volume, North America will have the
largest amount of business IP traffic in 2014 at 2.3 exabytes per month. Western Europe will be a close second to
North America at 2.2 exabytes per month.
Overview of VNI Methodology
The Cisco Visual Networking Index Forecast methodology rests on a foundation of analyst projections for Internet
users, broadband connections, video subscribers, mobile connections, and Internet application adoption. Analyst
forecasts come from SNL Kagan, Ovum, Informa Telecoms & Media, Infonetics, IDC, Frost & Sullivan, Gartner,
ABI, AMI, Screen Digest, Parks Associates, Yankee Group, Dell’Oro Group, Synergy, comScore, Nielsen, and
others. Upon this foundation are layered Cisco’s own estimates for application adoption, minutes of use, and
kilobytes per minute. The adoption, usage, and bitrate assumptions are tied to fundamental enablers such as
broadband speed and computing speed. Figure 1 shows a sketch of the forecast methodology.
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Figure 1. Cisco VNI Forecast Methodology Incorporates Fundamental Enablers of Adoption and Usage
Following the methodology through each step for a single application category (in this case, Internet video-to-TV)
will illustrate the estimation process.
Step 1: Number of Users
The forecast for Internet video-to-PC begins with estimations for the number of Internet video users, taken from a
variety of sources. Table 1 lists the assumptions and sources used to quantify Internet video users in 2009 and
2014.
Table 1. Internet Video Users, 2009–2014
Country 2009 2014 Source
Rest of Asia Pacific 73,425,842 133,690,246 IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
Brazil 28,179,584 53,082,985 Brazil’s CETIC estimates that 53% of Internet users watch video
online. This percentage was used to calculate the 2009 figure.
Canada 22,525,000 26,466,495 IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
Rest of Central and Eastern Europe 42,077,334 59,988,328 IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
China 198,849,000 414,262,812 comScore, 2010
IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
France 40,744,000 53,410,975 comScore, 2010
IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
Germany 45,830,000 59,537,237 comScore, 2010
IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
India 14,658,327 42,131,143 The 2009 number is based on data from India’s information ministry
along with survey results from Cisco’s Connected Life
Market Watch.
Italy 20,653,531 32,631,831 comScore, 2010
IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
Japan 60,365,000 69,818,083 comScore, 2010
IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
Korea 34,044,217 37,145,839 IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
Rest of Latin America 30,887,509 67,250,488 IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
Rest of Middle East and Africa 20,004,649 60,227,267 IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
Mexico 19,438,586 38,628,153 IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
Russia 16,309,150 28,617,664 IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
United Kingdom 36,788,000 46,441,504 comScore, 2010
IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
United States 177,851,000 218,530,216 comScore, 2010
IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
Rest of Western Europe 52,167,470 72,377,296 IDC Worldwide DMM, 2010
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Country 2009 2014 Source
South Africa 1,542,890 3,461,910 Cisco estimates based on South Africa’s regional share of
Internet PCs, as quantified by Gartner.
Step 2: Application Adoption
Once the number of Internet video users has been established, the number of users for each video sub-segment
must be estimated. It was assumed that all Internet video users are short-form video users, on average 50 percent of
Internet video users watch long-form content (based largely on comScore Video Metrix figures for video sites whose
average viewing time is longer than 5 minutes in duration), 30 percent watch some form of live content, 2.4 percent
are ambient video watchers, and 3 percent are Internet PVR users. These figures are global averages; regional
adoption rates for the application sub-segments can vary significantly.
Step 3. Minutes of Use
For each application sub-segment, minutes of use (MOU) are estimated. Multiple sources are used to determine
MOU: the Cisco VNI Usage data collection program provides a minute-per-subscriber baseline for many
applications, the Cisco Connected Life Market Watch survey provides MOU for markets that are not covered by the
Usage program, and comScore Video Metrix provides PC-based MOU for online video. Special care is taken to
ensure that the total number of Internet video minutes is well within the total number of video minutes (including
television broadcast) for each user. For example, if the average individual watches a total of 4 hours of video content
per day, the sum of Internet, managed IP, and mobile video hours should be a relatively small portion of the total 4
hours.
Step 4. Bitrates
Once MOU have been estimated for each sub-segment of video, the next step is to apply kilobytes (KB) per minute.
In order to arrive at kilobytes per minute, first the regional and country average broadband speeds are estimated
for the years 2009 through 2014. For each application category, a representative bitrate is established, and this
representative bitrate grows at approximately the same pace as the broadband speed. For video categories, a
7 percent annual compression gain is applied to the bitrate. Local bitrates are then calculated based on how far the
average broadband speed in the country differs from the global average, how much digital screen real estate the
country has, and how much computing power the average device in the country has. Combining these factors yields
bitrates such as those in Table 2.
Table 2. Megabytes per Minute for Internet Video, 2009–2014
(MB per Minute) 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Internet High-Definition Video
Italy 16 19 24 25 26 27
Germany 27 31 33 31 29 27
France 27 31 33 31 29 27
United Kingdom 22 25 33 31 29 27
Rest of WE 24 28 33 31 29 27
Canada 26 28 33 31 29 27
United States 26 28 33 31 29 27
China 8 8 8 8 8 9
Korea 32 33 33 31 29 27
India 8 8 8 8 7 7
Rest of APAC 18 19 20 22 24 26
Russia 11 13 14 16 18 20
Rest of CEE 11 13 14 16 18 21
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(MB per Minute) 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Brazil 8 8 8 8 10 13
Mexico 8 8 8 9 11 15
Rest of LATAM 8 8 8 9 11 15
South Africa 8 8 8 9 10 11
Rest of MEA 8 8 8 9 10 11
Japan 32 33 33 31 29 27
Internet Standard-Definition Video
Italy 8 9 12 12 12 12
Germany 13 15 16 17 18 18
France 13 15 16 17 18 18
United Kingdom 11 12 16 16 16 16
Rest of WE 12 14 16 17 18 18
Canada 13 14 16 15 16 18
United States 13 14 16 15 16 18
China 3 3 4 4 5 6
Korea 14 15 16 17 18 18
India 3 3 4 4 5 6
Rest of APAC 9 9 10 10 11 12
Russia 6 6 7 7 8 9
Rest of CEE 6 6 7 7 8 9
Brazil 3 3 4 4 5 6
Mexico 3 4 4 4 5 7
Rest of LATAM 3 3 4 4 5 7
South Africa 3 3 4 4 5 6
Rest of MEA 3 3 4 4 5 6
Japan 14 15 16 17 18 18
Internet Short-Form Video and User-Generated Content
Italy 4 4 6 6 7 7
Germany 5 5 6 7 7 8
France 5 5 6 7 7 8
United Kingdom 5 5 6 7 7 8
Rest of WE 5 5 6 7 7 8
Canada 5 5 6 7 7 8
United States 5 5 6 7 7 8
China 2 2 2 2 2 2
Korea 5 5 6 7 7 8
India 2 2 2 2 2 2
Rest of APAC 4 5 5 6 6 7
Russia 3 3 3 4 5 5
Rest of CEE 3 3 3 4 5 5
Brazil 2 2 2 2 3 3
Mexico 2 2 2 2 3 4
Rest of LATAM 2 2 2 2 3 4
South Africa 2 2 2 2 3 3
Rest of MEA 2 2 2 2 3 3
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(MB per Minute) 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Japan 5 5 6 7 7 8
Step 5: Rollup
The penultimate step in the methodology is to multiply the bitrates, MOU, and users together to get an average
PB per month. Each application’s traffic share is cross-checked against the results from Cisco VNI Usage.
Step 6: Traffic Migration Assessment
The final step is to reconcile the Internet, managed IP, and mobile segments of the forecast. The portion of mobile
data traffic that has migrated from the fixed network is subtracted from the fixed forecast, and the amount of mobile
data traffic offloaded onto the fixed network through dual-mode devices and femtocells is added back to the fixed
forecast.
The quantitative results of the forecast and details of the methodology for each segment and type can be found in
the sections that follow.
Global IP Traffic Growth, 2009–2014
Table 3 shows the top-line forecast. According to this forecast, global IP traffic in 2009 stands at 15 exabytes per
month, and more than quadruples by 2014, to approach 64 exabytes per month. Consumer IP traffic will exceed
56 exabytes per month and business IP traffic will approach 8 exabytes per month.
Table 3. Global IP Traffic, 2009–2014
IP Traffic, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Type (PB per Month)
Internet 10,942 15,205 21,181 28,232 36,709 47,176 34%
Managed IP 3,652 4,963 6,771 8,851 11,078 13,199 29%
Mobile Data 91 228 538 1,158 2,132 3,528 108%
By Segment (PB per Month)
Consumer 11,602 16,534 23,750 32,545 43,117 55,801 37%
Business 3,083 3,862 4,740 5,697 6,801 8,103 21%
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 5,115 7,091 10,051 12,988 16,136 19,019 30%
Western Europe 3,495 4,818 6,712 9,261 12,417 16,158 36%
Asia Pacific 3,920 5,367 7,295 9,815 12,985 17,421 35%
Japan 1,068 1,539 2,149 2,855 3,591 4,300 32%
Latin America 438 680 1,026 1,527 2,274 3,479 51%
Central Eastern Europe 493 678 938 1,306 1,815 2,510 38%
Middle East and Africa 157 223 319 490 700 1,018 45%
Total (PB per Month)
Total IP traffic 14,686 20,396 28,491 38,242 49,919 63,904 34%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Definitions
Consumer: Includes fixed IP traffic generated by households, university populations, and Internet cafés
Business: Includes fixed IP WAN or Internet traffic generated by businesses and governments
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Mobile: Includes mobile data and Internet traffic generated by handsets, notebook cards, and mobile broadband
gateways
Internet: Denotes all IP traffic that crosses an Internet backbone
Managed IP: Includes corporate IP WAN traffic, IP transport of TV/VoD
The following tables show cross-tabs of end-user segment and network type for the final year of the forecast period
(2014). Consumer Internet remains the primary driver of IP traffic, but mobile data has the highest growth rate and
begins to generate significant traffic by 2014.
Table 4. Exabytes per Month as of Year End 2014
Consumer Business Total
Internet 42.1 5.1 47.2
Managed IP 10.9 2.3 13.2
Mobile Data 2.9 0.67 3.5
Total 55.8 8.1 63.9
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Table 5 shows the same data as Table 4, but in terms of annual traffic run rates. These run rates are based on the
monthly traffic at the end of 2014.
Table 5. Exabytes per Year as of Year End 2014
Consumer Business Total
Internet 504.8 61.3 566.1
Managed IP 130.5 27.9 158.4
Mobile Data 34.3 8.1 42.3
Total 669.5 97.2 766.9
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Consumer and business traffic are both dominated by Internet traffic, though business traffic is more evenly
distributed across public Internet and managed IP.
Table 6. Traffic Share by End-User Segment as of Year End 2014
Consumer Business
Internet 75.39% 63.02%
Managed IP 19.49% 28.69%
Mobile Data 5.12% 8.29%
Total 100.00% 100.00%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Consumer traffic accounts for the majority of IP traffic in every network type segment: consumer traffic is 89 percent
of all Internet traffic, 81 percent of all mobile data traffic, and 82 percent of managed IP traffic.
Table 7. Traffic Share by Network Type as of Year End 2014
Consumer Business Total
Internet 89.2% 10.8% 100%
Managed IP 82.4% 17.6% 100%
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Mobile Data 81.0% 19.1% 100%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Consumer Internet traffic represents two-thirds of all IP traffic, followed by consumer managed IP (VoD), which
represents 17 percent of traffic.
Table 8. Overall Traffic Share as of Year End 2014
Consumer Business Total
Internet 66% 8% 74%
Managed IP 17% 4% 21%
Mobile Data 4% 1% 6%
Total 87% 13% 100%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Consumer IP Traffic, 2009–2014
As shown in Table 9, global consumer IP traffic is expected to reach 56 exabytes per month in 2014. The majority
of today’s consumer IP traffic is Internet traffic.
Table 9. Global Consumer IP Traffic, 2009–2014
Consumer IP Traffic, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Type (PB per Month)
Internet 8,930 12,684 18,092 24,546 32,361 42,070 36%
Managed IP 2,606 3,680 5,248 7,095 9,059 10,875 33%
Mobile Data 66 170 410 904 1,697 2,856 112%
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 4,095 5,831 8,539 11,219 14,100 16,676 32%
Western Europe 2,672 3,802 5,495 7,815 10,658 13,994 39%
Asia Pacific 3,421 4,701 6,434 8,735 11,661 15,820 36%
Japan 735 1,126 1,633 2,229 2,856 3,459 36%
Latin America 315 519 810 1,246 1,920 3,043 57%
Central Eastern Europe 311 468 700 1,040 1,518 2,173 47%
Middle East and Africa 53 87 139 259 404 636 64%
Total (PB per Month)
Consumer IP Traffic 11,602 16,534 23,750 32,545 43,117 55,801 37%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Consumer Internet Traffic, 2009–2014
This category encompasses any IP traffic that crosses the Internet and is not confined to a single service provider’s
network. P2P traffic, still the largest share of Internet traffic today, will decrease as a percentage of overall Internet
traffic. Internet video streaming and downloads are beginning to take a larger share of bandwidth, and will grow to
nearly 60 percent of all consumer Internet traffic in 2014.
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Table 10. Global Consumer Internet Traffic, 2009–2014
Consumer Internet Traffic, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Sub-Segment (PB per Month)
File Sharing 4,091 5,075 6,197 7,492 9,125 11,340 23%
Internet Video 2,776 4,725 7,718 11,026 14,838 19,468 48%
Internet Video to TV 107 263 711 1,502 2,686 4,075 107%
Web/Data 1,688 2,273 3,006 3,930 4,933 6,134 29%
Video Calling 83 128 199 284 407 599 48%
Online Gaming 63 86 120 167 226 307 37%
VoIP 122 134 141 144 145 146 4%
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 2,279 3,351 5,015 6,495 8,096 9,652 33%
Western Europe 2,277 3,179 4,538 6,361 8,541 11,143 37%
Asia Pacific 3,251 4,416 5,961 7,944 10,475 13,856 34%
Japan 474 730 1,062 1,457 1,857 2,286 37%
Latin America 297 482 744 1,132 1,727 2,726 56%
Central Eastern Europe 304 447 651 941 1,336 1,893 44%
Middle East and Africa 49 78 120 216 329 515 60%
Total (PB per Month)
Consumer Internet Traffic 8,930 12,684 18,092 24,546 32,361 42,070 36%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Definitions
Web, email, and data: Includes web, email, instant messaging, and other data traffic (excluding file sharing)
File sharing: Includes peer-to-peer traffic from all recognized P2P systems such as BitTorrent, eDonkey, etc.,
as well as traffic from web-based file sharing systems
Gaming: Includes casual online gaming, networked console gaming, and multiplayer virtual world gaming
Video communications: Includes PC-based video calling, webcam viewing, and web-based video monitoring
VoIP: Includes traffic from retail VoIP services and PC-based VoIP, but excludes wholesale VoIP transport
Internet video to PC: Free or pay TV or VoD viewed on a PC, excludes P2P video file downloads
Internet video to TV: Free or pay TV or VoD delivered via Internet but viewed on a TV screen using an STB
or media gateway
Web, Email, and Data
This is a general category that encompasses web browsing, email, instant messaging, data (which includes file
transfer using HTTP, FTP, etc.) and other Internet applications. Note that “data” may include the download of video
files that are not captured by the “Internet video to PC” forecast. It includes traffic generated by all individual Internet
users. An Internet user is here defined as someone who accesses the Internet through a desktop or laptop at home,
school, Internet café, or other location outside the context of a business.
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Table 11. Global Consumer Web and Data Traffic, 2009–2014
Consumer Web, Email, and Data Traffic, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Sub-Segment (PB per Month)
Web/Data 1,595 2,162 2,868 3,765 4,732 5,878 30%
Software Updates 93 111 139 165 202 256 22%
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 634 809 996 1,221 1,454 1,645 21%
Western Europe 481 668 906 1,215 1,491 1,771 30%
Asia Pacific 364 495 683 920 1,214 1,637 35%
Japan 93 133 185 252 336 443 37%
Latin America 57 91 136 193 269 401 48%
Central Eastern Europe 48 61 77 99 126 181 30%
Middle East and Africa 11 16 22 31 43 55 38%
Total (PB per Month)
Consumer Web, Data 1,688 2,273 3,006 3,930 4,933 6,134 29%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
File Sharing
This category includes traffic from P2P applications such as BitTorrent and eDonkey, as well as web-based file
sharing. Note that a large portion of P2P traffic is due to the exchange of video files, so a total view of the impact of
video on the network should count P2P video traffic (estimated to be approximately 70 to 80 percent of P2P in 2009)
in addition to the traffic counted in the “Internet Video to PC” and “Internet Video to TV” categories. Table 12 shows
the forecast for consumer P2P traffic from 2009 to 2014. NOTE: The P2P category is limited to traditional file
exchange and does not include commercial video-streaming applications that are delivered through P2P, such
as PPStream or PPLive.
Table 12. Global Consumer File-Sharing Traffic, 2009–2014
Consumer File Sharing, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Sub-Segment (PB per Month)
P2P file Transfer 3,510 4,157 4,839 5,531 6,305 7,303 16%
Other File Transfer 581 918 1,358 1,961 2,820 4,037 47%
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 664 796 958 1,155 1,396 1,691 21%
Western Europe 1,198 1,421 1,637 1,830 2,086 2,414 15%
Asia Pacific 1,708 2,181 2,726 3,390 4,225 5,386 26%
Japan 179 218 262 313 370 435 19%
Latin America 119 160 207 257 329 450 30%
Central Eastern Europe 195 262 359 487 653 868 35%
Middle East and Africa 27 37 47 60 67 95 29%
Total (PB per Month)
Consumer File Sharing 4,091 5,075 6,197 7,492 9,125 11,340 23%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
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Internet Gaming
The “Internet Gaming” category primarily includes the traffic generated from gameplay. The download of the game
is included in “Web, Email, and Data.” Table 13 shows the forecast for Internet gaming from 2009 to 2014.
Table 13. Global Consumer Internet Gaming Traffic, 2009–2014
Consumer Gaming, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 10 13 18 24 30 35 29%
Western Europe 15 21 28 37 48 59 31%
Asia Pacific 31 43 62 89 127 184 43%
Japan 4 5 7 9 11 14 28%
Latin America 1 2 3 4 5 8 46%
Central Eastern Europe 1 1 2 3 4 6 42%
Middle East and Africa 0 0 0 1 1 2 53%
Total (PB per Month)
Consumer Gaming 63 86 120 167 226 307 37%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Voice over IP (VoIP)
This category includes phone-based VoIP services direct from a service provider, phone-based VoIP services
offered by a third-party but transported by a service provider, and softphone-based Internet VoIP applications such
as Skype. Table 14 shows the global forecast for consumer VoIP to 2014.
Table 14. Global Consumer VoIP Traffic, 2009–2014
Consumer Voice-over-IP Traffic, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 19 21 22 22 22 21 3%
Western Europe 58 62 62 61 59 57 –1%
Asia Pacific 20 25 29 32 35 38 13%
Japan 17 17 17 16 16 15 –3%
Latin America 5 6 7 8 9 9 15%
Central Eastern Europe 2 2 3 3 3 4 17%
Middle East and Africa 1 1 2 2 2 3 21%
Total (PB per Month)
Consumer VoIP 122 134 141 144 145 146 4%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Video Communications
The “Video Communications” category includes Internet video calling, video instant messaging, video monitoring,
and webcam traffic. This segment is relatively small for the forecast period, but is included for tracking purposes,
because it is expected to experience substantial long-term growth in the 2014–2019 timeframe.
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Table 15. Global Consumer Internet Video Communications, 2009–2014
Consumer Internet Video Communications, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 6 11 18 24 34 50 51%
Western Europe 12 22 45 65 96 153 66%
Asia Pacific 15 24 39 62 96 144 58%
Japan 45 61 80 103 131 163 30%
Latin America 2 4 7 12 20 32 74%
Central Eastern Europe 3 6 10 16 28 54 76%
Middle East and Africa 0 0 1 2 3 4 67%
Total (PB per Month)
Consumer Video Communications 83 128 199 284 407 599 48%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Internet Video to PC
“Internet Video to PC” refers to online video that is downloaded or streamed for viewing on a PC screen. It excludes
peer-to-peer downloads, and is distinct from Internet-delivery of video to a TV screen through a set-top box (STB)
or equivalent device. Much of the video viewed on PC is short-form content, and a large part of it is made up of free
clips, episodes, and other content offered by traditional content producers such as movie studios and television
networks.
Table 16. Global Consumer Internet Video-to-PC Traffic, 2009–2014
Consumer Internet Video to PC, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Category (PB per Month)
Short Form 717 997 1,415 2,011 2,754 3,727 39%
Long Form SD 1,132 1,707 2,286 2,534 2,687 3,286 24%
Long Form HD 405 989 2,195 3,541 5,068 6,432 74%
Long Form 3D 0 2 13 43 106 226 259%
Internet Video—Live TV 285 449 702 1,033 1,456 1,928 47%
Internet PVR 99 218 357 628 1,026 1,600 74%
Ambient Video 137 364 750 1,236 1,740 2,270 75%
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 892 1,574 2,639 3,301 3,873 4,375 37%
Western Europe 482 907 1,670 2,775 4,090 5,680 64%
Asia Pacific 1,102 1,623 2,345 3,243 4,355 5,728 39%
Japan 126 270 447 635 783 913 49%
Latin America 112 218 380 646 1,064 1,749 73%
Central Eastern Europe 53 112 191 310 468 679 66%
Middle East and Africa 9 22 46 115 205 343 107%
Total (PB per Month)
Consumer Video to TV 2,776 4,725 7,718 11,026 14,838 19,468 48%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
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Definitions
Short form: User-generated video and other video clips generally less than 7 minutes in length
Long form: Video content generally greater than 7 minutes in length
Live TV: Peer-to-peer TV and live television streaming over the Internet
Internet PVR: Recording live TV content for later viewing
Ambient video: Nannycams, petcams, home security cams, and other persistent video streams
Internet Video to TV
“Internet Video to TV” includes video delivered via Internet to a TV screen, by way of an Internet-enabled set-top box
or equivalent device. Examples of devices now available include Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and the Roku digital video
player, through which users can download film and television content.
Table 17. Global Consumer Internet Video-to-TV Traffic, 2009–2014
Consumer Internet Video to TV, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Category (PB per Month)
Gaming Consoles Streaming Video 47 112 277 488 776 1,063 86%
Internet-Enabled TVs 1 5 27 108 316 686 285%
Internet-Enabled non-SP STBs 3 10 25 49 88 141 110%
Internet-Enabled SP STBs 47 118 343 799 1,417 2,062 113%
PC-TV Connections 5 11 24 40 61 84 73%
Placeshifting—Standalone 3 7 15 18 28 40 67%
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 54 128 365 749 1,288 1,833 103%
Western Europe 29 79 190 378 672 1,010 103%
Asia Pacific 11 25 77 208 423 739 133%
Japan 11 26 65 128 209 303 93%
Latin America 0 1 4 12 32 76 177%
Central Eastern Europe 1 3 9 24 54 101 152%
Middle East and Africa 0 1 2 4 8 13 107%
Total (PB per Month)
Consumer Video to TV 107 263 711 1,502 2,686 4,075 107%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Consumer Managed IP Traffic, 2009–2014
“Managed IP Video” refers to IP traffic generated by traditional commercial TV services. This traffic remains within
the footprint of a single service provider, so it is not considered Internet traffic. (For Internet video delivered to the
set-top box, please see “Internet Video to TV” in the previous section.)
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Table 18. Global Consumer Managed IP Traffic, 2009–2014
Consumer Managed IP Traffic, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Application Category (PB per Month)
IPTV VoD 329 504 714 948 1,209 1,463 35%
Cable VoD 2,277 3,176 4,534 6,147 7,850 9,411 33%
By Sub-Segment (PB per Month)
IPTV SD VoD Traffic 250 334 391 397 386 428 11%
IPTV HD VoD Traffic 79 169 323 549 821 1,031 67%
Cable SD VoD Traffic 1,309 1,558 1,758 1,850 1,874 2,200 11%
Cable HD VoD Traffic 945 1,551 2,601 3,906 5,237 6,039 45%
Hybrid IP Cable SD VoD Traffic 12 31 59 92 122 174 69%
Hybrid IP Cable HD VoD Traffic 10 36 115 296 608 982 148%
IPTV 3D VoD Traffic 0 0 1 1 3 5 183%
Hybrid IP Cable 3D VoD Traffic 0 0 0 0 1 2 330%
Cable 3D VoD Traffic 0 0 2 4 8 13 169%
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 1,804 2,447 3,432 4,507 5,606 6,356 29%
Western Europe 373 567 821 1,159 1,550 1,953 39%
Asia Pacific 157 252 399 627 848 1,291 52%
Japan 248 367 513 662 822 921 30%
Latin America 16 28 44 68 107 170 61%
Central Eastern Europe 6 15 34 65 118 172 97%
Middle East and Africa 3 4 6 7 9 12 34%
Total (PB per Month)
Managed IP Video Traffic 2,606 3,680 5,248 7,095 9,059 10,875 33%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Business IP Traffic
The enterprise forecast is based on the number of network-connected computers worldwide. In our experience, this
provides the most accurate measure of enterprise data usage. An average business user might generate 4 GB per
month of Internet and WAN traffic. A large-enterprise user would generate significantly more traffic, 8–10 GB per
month.
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Table 19. Business IP Traffic, 2009–2014
Business IP Traffic, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Network Type (PB per Month)
Business Internet Traffic 2,013 2,522 3,089 3,687 4,348 5,106 20%
Business Managed IP Traffic 1,046 1,283 1,523 1,756 2,019 2,325 17%
Business Mobile Data 25 58 128 254 435 672 93%
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 1,021 1,260 1,512 1,769 2,036 2,343 18%
Western Europe 822 1,015 1,217 1,445 1,759 2,164 21%
Asia Pacific 499 666 861 1,080 1,324 1,601 26%
Japan 333 413 516 625 735 840 20%
Latin America 123 161 216 281 354 437 29%
Central Eastern Europe 181 210 237 266 298 336 13%
Middle East and Africa 104 137 180 231 295 382 30%
Total (PB per Month)
Business IP Traffic 3,083 3,862 4,740 5,697 6,801 8,103 21%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
Definitions
Business Internet traffic: All business traffic that crosses the public Internet
Business managed IP: All business traffic that is transported over IP but remains within the corporate WAN
Business mobile data: All business traffic that crosses a mobile access point
Mobile Data and Internet Traffic
Mobile data traffic includes handset-based data traffic, such as text messaging, multimedia messaging, and handset
video services. Mobile Internet traffic is generated by wireless cards for portable computers and handset-based
mobile Internet usage.
Table 20. Mobile Data and Internet Traffic, 2009–2014
Mobile Data and Internet Traffic, 2009–2014
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 CAGR
2009–2014
By Geography (PB per Month)
North America 17 47 125 282 504 839 117%
Western Europe 29 69 164 355 683 1,084 106%
Asia Pacific 17 45 100 216 427 814 116%
Japan 18 40 83 158 250 350 80%
Latin America 4 12 29 59 109 182 111%
Central Eastern Europe 3 8 21 44 81 133 114%
Middle East and Africa 2 6 17 44 78 127 133%
Total (PB per Month)
Mobile Data and Internet 91 228 538 1,158 132 3,528 108%
Source: Cisco VNI, 2010
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For More Information
For more information, see the companion paper “Hyperconnectivity and the Approaching Zettabyte Era.” Inquiries
can be directed to traffic-inquiries@cisco.com.
Printed in USA FLGD 08867 06/10
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